# What are the signs of brain damage in heavy drinkers and maintenance alcoholics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102 "2009-04-23T14:49:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/1 "2009-04-23T14:49:39Z")
What are the typical signs of brain damage via alcohol in people who are very heavy after hours and weekend drinkers, or maintenance alcoholics who drink themselves into a a stupor ever evening, but get up and go to work the next day. What are the subtle and not so subtle signs of brain damage due to being an alcoholic or borderline alcoholic? ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/2 "2009-04-24T17:06:36Z")
Well, in order to bump this as I would like any information as well, there is an article on cnn [here](http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/14/healthmag.alcohol.brain.shrinkage/index.html) that shows brain shrinkage in drinkers, especially women. [This](http://alcoholism.about.com/od/brain/a/blunc041105.htm) article reports that it may be reversable. Anyone else have information? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/3 "2009-04-24T17:21:21Z")
The classic textbook associations are Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis (These are classically associated with thiamine deficiency; common in alcoholics. It will be faster to look them up online than have folks regurgitate them bit by bit here) but in general almost any of the ordinary things you associate with ordinary demential can be present, since alcohol is directly toxic to the brain. Many alcoholics have associated liver disease, which can also present with encephalopathy; this is potentially more reversible depending on the individual patient. You may not be able to fix the liver, but you might be able to ameliorate some of the levels and effects of the toxins building up from the bad liver that are causing the brain dysfunction. Finally, other vitamin/nutritional deficiencies are not uncommon in folks whose main food intake comes from beer, and these can also present with poor brain function. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/4 "2009-04-24T19:20:59Z")
> [@astro](#): > > What are the subtle and not so subtle signs of brain damage due to being an alcoholic or borderline alcoholic? ER doctors have simply mental tests to indentify such things I believe they were simply mental arithmetic. My sister, who worked as an ER doctor, complained she would always fail them, when she tried to do them herself 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/5 "2009-04-24T20:32:55Z")
The Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis are the big ones to worry about if you start seeing signs of those… Best to Wikipedia those for helpful information They’re basically issues with the Cerebellum- so motor deficits, balance problems, gait ataxia, and general slowing down. Also possible to see intention tremors (as opposed to resting tremors which is more Parkingsonian). In general, you’ll start to see memory deficits, and a general slowing down with sight changes in behavior, walking, stance, to help compensate for the losses. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-signs-of-brain-damage-in-heavy-drinkers-and-maintenance-alcoholics/494102/6 "2009-04-27T22:12:05Z")
Thanks!